


kiss the good thing back

by ElasticElla



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Community: lands_of_magic, F/F, Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-22 19:33:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18534064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElasticElla/pseuds/ElasticElla
Summary: Pete isn’t the one Julia goes to.





	kiss the good thing back

**Author's Note:**

> Janelle prompt of 'so dress me up I'll like it better if we both pretend' & [meme](https://girljustdied.dreamwidth.org/263262.html) prompt is the title

Julia is fucking exhausted. She’s sick of looking up spells that are crap ninety-nine times out of a hundred, sick of chasing down leads that end with idiots doing card tricks. She can’t even call Q, not that he would help. He made it perfectly clear that he thought she should give up, just forget the power inside of her. And that was before the whole Brakebills break-in debacle. The only thing more all-consuming than learning magic is letting it go fallow. 

Julia slams her laptop shut, dragging a hand through her tangled hair. 

This isn’t working. 

.

An older witch wants to steal from Marina, and Julia’s tempted. The righteous part of her is convinced that she deserves those memories, that regardless of method, they got what they needed. The rest of her remembers the body in the freezer they were locked in, of how Marina was ready to let her die unless she harvested from it. 

She may be desperate to do magic, but she’s hasn’t forgotten who Marina is. 

She just needs to convince her that she’s still worth it. 

.

It takes an embarrassingly long time to break into Marina’s apartment. She sits on the couch, willing away her curiosity. This meeting _needs_ to go just right, and if Marina suspects she’s here to snoop or steal there’s no way it’ll work. She has a picture of the ex-hedge on the table like an offering. Julia hopes it’s enough for a new start, doesn’t have anything else left. 

She sits for hours. Marina’s cat comes into the living room a few times, but mostly stays away. Waiting for her, it’s the calmest she’s felt since her stars were crossed out. She’s nearly slipped into a meditative state when the door handle moves, and all the anxiety comes back strong, crashes over her. (If this doesn’t work there’s no where left to turn, if this doesn’t work she’ll be raking through the internet forever, if-)

Marina steps into the apartment with a cruel smile. “Julia. What an unwelcome surprise. Here to beg for scraps? Pete’s been so moody around the office, it’s as if he thought you’d go to him.” 

She pushes the photograph forwards, “This woman’s trying to get help stealing your memories.” 

Marina laughs, sauntering closer. “And you being a weak fool decided to tell me rather than trying to take them yourself?” 

Her lips thin, “I got in here didn’t I?”

“True enough,” Marina says. “But you have nothing real to offer me. And who knows when you’ll run back to your little Brakebills friends? You’re a liability Julia.” 

She shivers, crossing her arms. “I can’t go back to them.” 

Marina sits beside her, condescendingly patting her knee. “Of course you can. In a few months, you’ll be all big doe eyes and apologies and that evil hedge bitch made me do it. They won’t forgive you, but you’ll still try.” 

The words are like a sucker punch, her breath coming faster. 

“And baby I can’t imagine anything you could do to convince _me_ otherwise, so don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out.” 

The answer is so clear then that she wonders if Marina’s been setting it up this whole time. The realization should anger her, or at least make her indignant. But all Julia can feel is sharp relief. There’s a way forward, it’s all gonna be okay. 

“You’re going to teach me magic again,” Julia says, confidence growing with every word. 

“Oh yeah?” Marina says, but it sounds more amused than angered. 

Julia leans in to kiss her, pours all of her want into it. Marina’s nearly still beside her, kisses her back but doesn’t move otherwise. She can’t take that, clamoring onto her lap and running her fingers through her hair, deepening the kiss all she can before the oxygen’s run out. 

“Yeah,” Julia breathes. 

“I already have a full coven to teach,” Marina teases. 

“I’m better than them.” The brutal assessment surprises even herself, eyes going wide after the words are out. 

Marina cackles, petting her cheek. “That you are.” 

“I mean-” 

“Don’t ruin it,” she snaps, and Julia falls silent. “You have more potential than all the others combined.”

Julia doesn’t know what to do with that, awkwardly shifting in her lap. 

“Say it again,” Marina purrs, fingernails scratching down her jaw. 

Julia swallows, “I’m worth it.” 

Her lips twitch, “Almost.”

“I’m worth more,” she whispers, blasphemous. 

“That you are,” Marina says, kissing her, dirty and deep.


End file.
